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The Best Mascarpone Cheesecake You'll Ever Have

When I was 10 years old, I went through a weird cheesecake stage. My mom had a big cheesecake cookbook, and I'd come home from school and whip up a marble or strawberry one, just for fun. It was so random! But while they were all good, today Yossy from Apt. 2B Baking Co. shares the most delicious recipe featuring a dollop of mascarpone (how perfect would this be for a dinner party?)...Mascarpone Cheesecake
By Yossy Arefi of Apt. 2B Baking Co.

My ideal cheesecake is just slightly tart and sweet. New-York-style cheesecake purists may scoff at the addition of a heavy dose of mascarpone in this recipe, but it makes the filling unbelievably creamy and light. It is also a great base for seasonal fruit toppings. In the summer, try sliced stone fruit or berries; in the spring, strawberries or rhubarb compote are a delicious addition. Sauteed apples and pears are wonderful in the fall, and in the winter, candied citrus fruit (clementines pictured above) or citrus curd make fine accompaniments.

Some handy tips for cheesecake success:
— Make sure the ingredients—especially the cream cheese—are at room temperature before you start mixing the filling. Cold cream cheese and eggs will result in a lumpy cheesecake batter.
— If you forget to take your eggs out of the refrigerator beforehand, you can warm them in a bowl of hot tap water for about ten minutes. Dry them carefully before using.
— Wrap the bottom of the pan in aluminum foil and cook the cheesecake in a water bath to prevent cracking. Also, turn off the oven and let the cheesecake cool with the door slightly ajar to prevent cracks.
— For clean slices, make sure the cheesecake is thoroughly chilled, and slice using a long, thin knife that's been run under hot water. Dry knife between cuts.

Preheat oven to 350º. Butter the inside of a 9-inch springform pan, and wrap the bottom of the pan with a double layer of aluminum foil. Place the prepared pan on a baking sheet.

In a medium bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and salt. Add the butter and stir well to moisten all of the crumbs. Pour the crumb mixture into the prepared pan and use your fingers to press gently into an even layer on the bottom and halfway up the sides of the pan. If you are having trouble getting the layer even, use a straight sided glass or measuring cup to gently press the crumb mixture onto the sides and into the corners. Freeze the crust for 10 minutes while the oven heats.

Slide the pan into the oven and bake until the crust is lightly browned and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Turn the oven down to 325º.

Using a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer, beat the cream cheese in a large bowl until it is light and very smooth, about 4 minutes.

With the mixer running on medium low speed, slowly pour in the sugar, then the salt. Beat for 3 more minutes. Add the vanilla extract and lemon zest.

Add in the eggs, one at a time, and beat for a full minute after each egg. Scrape down the bowl, reduce the speed to low. Add in the mascarpone and mix thoroughly. Pour the mixture into the prepared crust. The batter will come to the top of the springform pan.

Place the springform pan into a roasting pan (I used a large skillet in the above photos) and place on the center rack of the oven. Fill the roasting pan with enough (very) hot tap water—or boiling water—to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Close the oven door and bake the cheesecake until it is lightly golden on top and the filling is set, but still slightly wobbly in the center, about 90 minutes.

Turn off the oven and prop the door open slightly with a wooden spoon. Let the cheesecake cool for one hour in its water bath. After an hour, gently remove the roasting pan from the oven and lift the springform pan from the water. Carefully remove the foil from the bottom of the pan and set the pan on a cooling rack. Run a knife around the top edge of the cheesecake to release it from the pan. Let the cheesecake cool to room temperature, then cover the top with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before slicing—an overnight chill is best if you have the time.Delicious! Thank you so much, Yossy.

I love cheesecake, but I don't like knowing the ingredients (even though I know it's actual CHEESE and cream cheese in the back of my head, it feels weird to read the ingredients and know that I'm literally eating cheese in a crust)!

I don't know why I'm blanking on what mascarpone is...but this cheesecake looks damn good!! I didn't know that cold cream cheese and eggs makes for a lumpy...I'm going to bookmark this recipe for the future!

YUM! This reminds me of the cheesecake at an Italian restaurant I work at in after college. The patriarch of the family was the cheesecake king and used ricotta. So delicious and creamy! Thanks for sharing this recipe. I'm going to try it!

funnily, my best friend growing up and i also went through a cheescake phase in middle school...but ours involved eating frozen mini sara lee cheesecakes straight from the freezer. ha ha now that i think about it, that sounds pretty gross.

I'm completely obsessed with cheesecake. It's so bad that I can't stay in the city too long because I start stalking Junior's. I make a white chocolate cheesecake with a chocolate crust that is ridiculously good. I can't make it too often or I'd never fit through doors :) Going to have to try this next time we have friends over! Thanks!

I really can't wait to give this a go!I'll be making a strawberry, nectarine and vanilla tart today which I'm very excited about as it's completely out of my comfort zone!Thanks for sharing, this cheesecakes looks amazing!http://tattoosandvintagediamonds.blogspot.co.nz/

HUGE fan of mascarpone cheesecake! Have you had the one at Employees Only in the West Village? They serve it with butterscotch sauce, sea salt and super thin peanut brittle. It is to die for!! My sister and I always go there just for this and a cup of tea after dinner... Indulge!!

Omigosh this recipe is soooo yummy! Just a couple tips for anyone who is an amateur baker like me... first off, my springform pan is NOT waterproof, so even with the aluminum foil wrapped around the bottom of my pan, water leaked inside the pan in about 2 seconds and ruined my crust. Thankfully I had not put the filling in yet! I just redid the crust and passed on the water bath. Something to test ahead of time! Secondly, mascarpone is hard to find in the states but Trader Joe's carries it. It's near the cream cheese.

They sell mascarpone at every grocery store I have ever regularly shopped at, including not-so-nice ones. They even sell it at Targets which have full grocery sections. If in doubt, check in the cheese section(the one where you might find wedge cheese and not processed cheese or sliced cheese).

Today is the second time I've made this recipe and I absolutely love it. I used to make cheesecakes for my high school dance company's bake sale as a raffle prize and I wish I had this recipe at the time. It's so light and not too rich. In the summer I served it with raspberries on top and in the winter I serve it with a yummy cranberry sauce. Delicious!!!